When Product Marketing and Product Management Are Not Aligned
WRITTEN By Fluvio consultant, Colin Kemp
Misalignment between Product Marketing (PMM) and Product Management (PM) can creep in quietly or erupt suddenly – triggered by a quarterly performance miss, a miscommunication, an acquisition, or simply the onboarding of a new PM.
“It’s important to realize that pursuing the product and pursuing the market are not independent activities and they are very much intertwined. Which is why the product manager/product marketer partnership is so important to get right.”
For Product Marketing leaders, these moments are a key test of leadership. Your ability to sense and navigate these inflection points strengthens your reputation – and affirms the value you bring to this essential partnership.
So yes, this article is relationship advice: how to build the PMM-PM dynamic, nurture it, and recover when things inevitably go sideways.
What Does Good “Alignment” Look Like?
Before diving into friction, let’s define what success looks like.
Like any relationship, no two PM-PMM partnerships are the same. But the strongest ones tend to share a few hallmark traits:
Synchronized Goals
PMs drive product strategy, delivery, and metrics like usage or retention. PMMs own the full stack of GTM-market research, positioning, messaging, and activation.
In every strong partnership, there’s an explicit conversation about roles, overlap, and shared outcomes. These conversations not only align the PM and PMM but also help the broader cross-functional team row in the same direction.
Transparency
Great PMs are systems thinkers — able to toggle between strategic vision and technical depth. PMMs bring market narratives, competitive positioning, and customer insights.
When both sides bring their inputs to the table openly--especially within cross-functional planning or Launch Team rituals — teams benefit from the full picture.
Early Involvement
When a PM says, “Wanted to give you a heads up…” about an idea in its infancy-that’s gold.
Being involved at the ideation and business case stage sets PMMs up for success downstream. This is especially vital in high-stakes scenarios like acquisitions, where early alignment shapes how well the GTM story will land.
When PMMs help craft the vision, contribute to strategic framing, and engage in product discovery, the resulting messaging isn’t retrofitted — it’s organic.
Diagnosing the Friction (Quickly)
That’s the ideal. But friction happens — and that’s not always bad. Tension between PM and PMM can be productive when navigated well.
Here are common triggers-and how to course-correct:
1. A New PM Hire
This is one of the most common (and easiest) causes of misalignment. New PMs are absorbing a firehose of context — they often lack visibility into past wins or existing rhythms.
If things feel off, work with your product leader to enhance PMM onboarding touchpoints. PMMs are natural connectors-lateral thinkers who know how things get done. Use that to accelerate mutual understanding.
2. Structural Misalignment
Sometimes, the issue isn’t interpersonal — it’s structural. Misaligned team structures, unclear swimlanes, or disjointed assignments can cause friction.
Partner with product leaders to audit and realign PM–PMM assignments to ensure teams are aiming at the same targets.
LEARN MORE: Organizational Design: How to Unlock Strategic Impact from Product Marketing
3. An Acquisition
Less common but more intense. Acquisitions compress everything: strategy, launch, integration, cultural fit.
If you’ve weathered one before, you know PMMs can play a stabilizing role. Facilitate conversations, lean into the uncertainty, and guide the team through ambiguity. A retrospective post-acquisition is a powerful opportunity to build new rituals and refine your GTM process.
LEARN MORE: Adapting Your GTM Process to Make the Most of Acquisitions
Don’t Forget the Basics: Relationship Rituals
Trust is built in the small moments. To stay aligned:
Schedule weekly 1:1s not tied to deliverables — make space to talk outcomes.
Prioritize regular participation in product discovery.
Jointly review sales calls or customer feedback. Celebrate early wins together.
These rituals help build muscle memory for alignment — so when stress hits, the relationship holds.
Escalate Carefully--And Offer Options
If you’re truly stuck, bring in leadership — but come with solutions, not complaints.
Instead of:
“We’re blocked on messaging.”
Try:
“We’re unclear on the persona for Feature Z, which could delay GTM. Could we host a ½ day workshop or gather direct stakeholder input?”
This frames the issue as a velocity barrier and positions you as action-oriented.
Why Fight for This?
PM/PMM tension is real — and often healthy. It means both teams care deeply about the customer and want to get it right.
With early collaboration, shared frameworks, mutual trust, and clear rituals, you can turn friction into forward momentum.
Because when PM and PMM are aligned, you get:
Faster launches — less friction, more flow
Messaging that’s embedded in the product itself
Confident sales and partner enablement
A shared rhythm that drives success at every GTM stage
In short: aligned teams don’t just ship — they ship smarter, faster, and together.